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    Impact Factor: 6.78 Journal Quality Score (JQS): 85.34
    Email Id: chiefeditor.ijeel@gmail.com

    Contemporary Thriller Fiction: Background and Characteristics

    Journal Article
    Author(s)
    Maha Samih Hamoudi, Prof. Pulin Bhatt
    Keywords
    Thriller Fiction, Contemporary Literature, Psychological Suspense, Moral Ambiguity, Digital Espionage
    Abstract
    Thriller fiction, once largely a realm of pulp, has morphed into a complex literary genre engaging with the anxieties of the 21st century. While the commitment to suspense, high stakes and narrative velocity remains undiminished, modern thrillers, in a departure from the clear-cut hero-villain narratives of yesteryear, delve into psychological nuances, moral ambiguities and existential threats such as digital espionage. This transformation parallels shifts including the breakdown of faith in organisations, the domination of technology and the growing obsession with human perception. Contemporary thrillers do not just entertain but disrupt the reader, forcing unsettling realisations about the identity, power and nature of reality.
    References

    Blench, Roger. “The Genesis of the Thriller.” Academia.edu, 2023.

    Bo¨nnemark, M. The Mimetic Mystery. Unpublished PhD thesis, Stockholm University, 1997.

    Cawelti, John G. Adventure, Mystery, and Romance: Formula Stories as Art and Popular Culture. University of Chicago Press, 1976.

    Fowler, Roger. Linguistics and the Novel. Methuen, 1977.

    French, Patrick. “Open Letter to Detectives and Psychoanalysis: Analysis and Reading.” The Art of Detective Fiction, edited by W. Chernaik, M. Swales, and R. Vilain, St. Martin’s Press, 2000, pp. 222–232.

    Gregoriou, Christiana. Deviance in Contemporary Crime Fiction. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

    Horsley, Lee. The Noir Thriller. Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.

    Porter, Dennis. The Pursuit of Crime: Art and Ideology in Detective Fiction. Yale University Press, 1981.

    Priestman, Martin. Detective Fiction and Literature: The Figure on the Carpet. Macmillan, 1990

    Van Dine, S. S. “Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories.” The American Magazine, Sept. 1928, p. 30.

    Scaggs, John. Crime Fiction. Routledge, 2005. (The New Critical Idiom)

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    Article Details
    Published 30 Jun 2026
    DOI 10.22161/ijeel.5.3.13
    Pages 105-114
    Views 10
    Downloads 3
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